MUSIC: Ben Howard Live Review

It's not every day that your fellow gig-goers casually describe
what they've just witnessed as "magical"; however, Ben Howard's first night at the O2 Brixton
Academy was just that.

The screaming crowds that greet him on arrival to the stage speak
volumes about just how strong this 26-year-old Devonshire lad's fan
base has grown over the last year.

Kicking off the night with rapturous renditions of Burgh
Island and Black Flies, Howard then oscillates with
ease between the slower numbers and the more upbeat ones.

Frequently engaging with the audience - whom he thanks numerous
times for having him - the humble performer flits between building
the crowd up to stunning crescendos and enthralling them through
the delicate acoustic tracks.

The evening's highlight - no doubt for Ben, too - has got to be
the crowd singing along noise-for-noise to hit Old Pine.
Repeating his tune right back to him, this is only matched by the
crowd singing in unison to The Wolves, but not before
we're going hoarse to a powerful performance of Keep Your Head
Up.

Before long, though, the night is already drawing to a close.
While some of the audience secretly wait with baited breath for a
live rendition of his BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge cover of Call Me
Maybe (hey, we can but dream...) Ben's encore doesn't
disappoint a jot, seeing him return for a haunting solo of The
Burren, before finally ending with he and his cellist doing
Promise.

It's rare that a performer can go higher in your estimations
during a live performance, but Ben Howard does just that. With a
voice that could melt stone with a single husky note, I'd be
willing to bet he not only scoops another score of fans after these
live shows, but a whole hoard of female admirers, too.